5) WALTER BERRY

5. Walter Berry: St. John’s – (1984-86) New York, NY

Two years: 20.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.7 bpg, 58.1% FG, 70.8% FT.

Player of the Year (1986)

First Team Consensus All-American (1986)

National AP Player of the Year (1986)

USBWA National Player of the Year (1986)

Wooden Award- National Player of the Year (1986)

UPI National Player of the Year (1986)

Because he played a year of junior college and left a year early, Berry only played two seasons in the Big East, but it was long enough to establish himself as a superstar. Berry, along with Patrick Ewing and former teammate Chris Mullin, are the only Big East players to be named as National Player of the Year.

“The Truth”, as he was affectionately known, helped St. John’s get to the Final Four as a sophomore. Despite being on a loaded team that included Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, and Bill Wennington, Berry averaged 17.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, and 55.8% from the field. But it was during his junior season that Berry exploded into a force. With Wennington graduating, the 6’8” Berry moved to center, and became the featured player on the team. To say he responded is an understatement, as Berry averaged 23.0 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg, and 59.8% from the floor. At the end of that season, Berry was considered the best player in the country, winning every major Player of the Year Award.

In just two seasons, Berry amassed 1,424 points and 703 rebounds. His 19.8 ppg in conference play is 9th best all-time, while his 9.7 rpg in conference play ranks 7th.

Berry was drafted 14th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite averaging a respectful 14.1 ppg over his first three years, Berry left the league and played professionally in Italy and Greece, where he was a huge star.

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